Lighthouses often get a reputation for being portrayed as spooky seaside locations shrouded in vibes of mystery and dreadful horror. However, lots of video games have vibrant ocean settings where lighthouses are established as more delightful and fascinating landmarks with breathtaking views.
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The lighthouse itself can sometimes have some significant architecture that makes it a sight to behold. It may be part of an island off the coast or a designated site in the town the game is set in, but these are some of the most iconic and visually remarkable lighthouses you can find.
11Alan Wake
Almost parallel toBioShock, Remedy’s first title in the survival horror genre,Alan Wake, introduces a lighthouse right from the start. Both are in a setting of incredible darkness, but this lighthouse is situated in the heart of nature on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by the mountainy forest environment of Rain Cove Point.
It’s a short-lived part of the game since it’s only there in a nightmare sequence serving as a tutorial and later in a DLC episode. However, any form of light is an essential defense against the ominous shadowy enemies after you, and the lighthouse’s giant light beam is a most welcome sight.
10Beyond Good & Evil
An iconic game where a lighthouse functions as your main base of operations isBeyond Good and Evil. It sits on an island off the coast of the game’s central location, sheltering not only the main character, photojournalist Jade, and her trusty boar friend Pey’j, but also a group of orphans and a dog named Woof.
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This lighthouse isn’t your average structure either, as a protective force field emits around it from an antenna atop the dome. But even so, you still have an excellent view of the bright blue ocean and neighboring Hillys City.
9The Chant
The events of The Chant can be best described as the spiritual retreat of Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers being turned into a cosmic horror nightmareof Lovecraftian proportions. A cult opens a portal to a dimension called The Gloom, and a lighthouse factors into the horror elements here yet again.
During the daytime, the lighthouse on Glory Island is quite elegant and tranquil, surrounded by a large body of water and providing a glimpse of the other island chains in the distance. When used for a light beam puzzle during the Gloom’s arrival, atmospheric green lightning and a green-filled sky hover around it.
8Fallout 4
Even the post-apocalyptic nuclear-decimated world ofFallout 4offers a scenic lighthouse location on its map, and it can become a settlement you grow. Known as the Kingsport Lighthouse, it’s right along the northeastern edge of the map of the Commonwealth, with a dock by the radiant water and a barren forest landscape.
The only thing standing in your way before officially claiming it as a settlement is a religious group known asthe Church of the Children of the Atom. Once you oust them from the lighthouse, this base with a view is all yours.
7Life Is Strange
When you first see the lighthouse inLife is Strange, it comes as a premonition for Max, and she sees it destroyed by a tornado. You then return to it at the end of the first episode in the real world with your friend Chloe, where it remains intact, overlooking the wide bay of water by the surrounding forest.
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With all the chaotic mystery andsupernatural time-altering abilitieshanging like a cloud over high school student Max Caulfield, the lighthouse might be the most tranquil area Arcadia Bay has. The walk through nature and a lookout point to watch the sunrise and sunset over the water’s horizon seems pretty soothing.
6Grand Theft Auto 5
North of Los Santos County and off to the east of Blaine County inGTA 5, there lies a lighthouse below Mount Gordo in the middle of the sea called the El Gordo Lighthouse. It has a more traditional red-and-white color scheme, and there’s a sea racing side activity that you can start next to it.
There are many options for getting to this isolated marvel on the water. You can access the lighthouse by boat or perhaps land on the base via helicopter or stunt jump, and it serves as a location for the Series A Funding heist inGTA Online.
5Atomic Heart
The references and inspirations from BioShock inAtomic Heartare plentiful, but there’s an incredibly obvious one with the lighthouse setting just before the game’s final sections. At the bottom of the lighthouse, Comrade Major P-3 sits at a chair near a TV playing a Russian cartoon, which takes him down to an underwater area, and the phrase “rapture” is even thrown around.
Once you get past the hordes of robotic enemies leading up to it, you’ll see that the lighthouse is in a magnificent location in Facility 3826. It’s just across the water from the beautiful geometric architecture of the triangular arching gray bridges and distant wilderness.
4Ghost Of Tsushima
Thegorgeous open-world environment of Tsushima Islandis never short of striking visuals and mesmerizing locations. When Jin Sakai feels the need to take a break from some of his vengeance on the island’s ruthless invaders, you can venture to the lighthouses scattered throughout the map, which all bestow you with lovely scenery.
Whether in Izuhara, Toyotama, or Kamiagata, all the lighthouses inGhost of Tsushimacome with ambient grass fields and serene water. And if you get all eight lighthouses in the game and ignite their flames, you’ll receive the Light the Way achievement.
The tropical resort island of Banoi inDead Islandhas a fortified stone lighthouse that shelters fellow survivors from the zombie onslaught. It acts as one of your safehouses on the island, and the characters residing there give you a couple of side quests. But nothing beats the scenic view of the resort bungalows laid out in a ring around the turquoise ocean from its deck.
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And past the resort, you can also see some of the other islands along the archipelago chain. It’s a gorgeous sight to take in and might just put you back in paradise and forget there was ever a zombie apocalypse.
2Assassin’s Creed Origins
Exploring Ancient Egypt inAssassin’s Creed Originsallows you to visit a sprawling lighthouse used as a military base in the Alexandria region. Located along the edge of Pharos Island, the Lighthouse of Alexandria provides a stunning view of the surrounding Mediterranean Sea and the various picturesque parts of the island.
The journey by boat to the location is already splendid, but being able to gaze from the viewpoint at the top spot after synchronizing is even more wondrous. The lighthouse becomes a pivotal point in the story when Bayek and Aya use it to alert Julius Caesar’s ships during the siege of Alexandria.
